Apparatus for the production and dispensing of food products such as ice cream and the like

Abstract

An apparatus (10) for the production and dispensing of chilled food products, such as ice cream or the like, comprises a refrigerated top tank (12) intended to contain a liquid preparation, and an underlying refrigerated cylinder (14) which contains a motor-driven scraper (15) and which receives the liquid preparation from the top tank (12) in order to produce from it the final product and dispense it controllably through a tap (16) at one end of the cylinder (14). The liquid preparation passes between the top tank (12) and the refrigerated cylinder (14) via a mixer pipe (21) which mixes air with the passing preparation. The top tank (12) contains a motor-driven screw (26) rotating about a horizontal axis so as to push the product inside the tank (12) towards the mixer pipe (21).

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus for production and dispensing of chilled food products, comprising a refrigerated top tank to contain a liquid preparation, and an underlying refrigerated cylinder which contains a motor-driven scraper and which receives the liquid preparation from the top tank so as to produce from the liquid preparation a final product and dispense the final product controllably via a tap at one end of the refrigerated cylinder, the liquid preparation passing between the top tank and the refrigerated cylinder via a mixer pipe, which mixes air with the passing liquid preparation, characterized in that the mixer pipe has at least one inlet passage for the liquid preparation and that the top tank has a motor-driven screw which rotates about a horizontal axis across the top tank and when rotated, pushes the liquid preparation inside the top tank in a direction toward the at least one inlet passage in the mixer pipe in which air is added to the liquid preparation prior to flowing into the refrigerated cylinder, with an air-liquid ratio for the liquid preparation being based on a rate at which the liquid preparation is pushed by the screw toward the mixer pipe. 
     
     
       2. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the mixer pipe projects vertically from the bottom of the top tank, so as to have a top end which is open in close proximity to a top edge of the tank such that the top end is above the free surface of the liquid preparation inside of the tank and which forms an air inlet and has at least the inlet passage for the liquid preparation, which is directed towards the motor-driven screw and is in close proximity to the bottom of the tank such that the at least one inlet passage is arranged with a bottom edge that is flush with the bottom of the tank. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus according to  claim 2 , characterized in that the mixer pipe has an insert which is rotatable by means of an operating end which projects from the open top end of the mixing pipe so as to be movable between a position for closing and a position for opening the inlet passage for the liquid preparation. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the motor-driven screw is a cylindrical-spiral horizontal-axis screw. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus according to  claim 4 , characterized in that the bottom of the tank has a cylindrical progression matching that of the cylindrical-spiral horizontal-axis screw so that the screw touches the bottom of the tank during part of angular rotation of the screw. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the top tank is provided with a lid for periodically topping the product inside the tank. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus according to  claim 2 , characterized in that the bottom end of the mixing pipe is arranged opposite the top end and projects inside of the refrigerated cylinder. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the motor-driven screw rotates about the horizontal axis across only a portion of the top tank. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus according to  claim 8 , characterized in that the motor-driven screw extends up to a lateral side of the mixer pipe.